Michael McCormack accuses Labor of stripping funds from Temora aged care facility

Michael McCormack, who is also the former leader of the National Party, has labelled the decision to cut more than $3.6 million from aged care provider Whiddon Group in Temora as "another Labor dagger in the heart of regional Australia".

The grant, which was allocated as part of the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) in the 2016-17 round, would have added another 50 beds to Whiddon Group's Narraburra facility.

The BBRF was scrapped by the Labor government in October last year, after it accused the Coalition of using it for pork-barrelling to keep key regional seats.

Minister for Regions Catherine King said at the time the funding would be reallocated to two other regional development funds - Growing Regions and the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program.

Mr McCormack said Temora's older residents would suffer as as result of the decision to remove the funding.

"The Frank Whiddon Masonic Lodge has been providing aged care services for the Temora town and region for more than 40 years," he said.

"The minister will duck and weave and say it was a decision of the department, but ministers are put there to make decisions, not cower behind a faceless department.

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"If Labor was serious about improving outcomes in the regions, then it should start by reversing this appalling decision, post-haste."

Mr McCormack said he had spoken with Whiddon Group chief executive officer Chris Mamarelis and he had expressed his deep disappointment with the withdrawal of this critical funding.

The president of Labor's Wagga branch, Mark Jeffreson, said the funding hadn't been removed, but rather the fund had been discontinued.

Mr Jeffreson said "everyone except the Nats knows why it was discontinued".

"The current government is working overtime cleaning up the mess left by the previous government and not just in aged care," he said.

"This money for Temora has been earmarked since 2016, so what happened to it? They left office only last year. Did they finish anything they started?

"A local member's job is to advocate, not to throw rocks from the sidelines. He is in the field of play and should make the most of it."

A spokesperson for Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said the government was aware of the challenge of delivering aged care in the bush, and the government was putting forward new funding to address the issue.

"The $526 million Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) is also available to provide capital funding to support increased access to quality aged care services in regional, rural and remote areas and for older Australians with complex and diverse needs," they said.

"This funding is available to 30 June 2026, with at least $149 million per year being made available on an ongoing basis after that.

"The Building Better Regions Fund is a matter for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts."

The responsible ministers Kristy McBain and Catherine King were contacted for comment, but did not respond prior to publication.

The Australian National Audit Office found last year the BBRF grants were not allocated on the basis of merit, and record keeping had been inadequate.

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